xref: /netbsd-src/lib/libm/man/atan2.3 (revision 1f2744e6e4915c9da2a3f980279398c4cf7d5e6d)
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32.\"     from: @(#)atan2.3	5.1 (Berkeley) 5/2/91
33.\"	$Id: atan2.3,v 1.4 1995/03/04 01:36:38 jtc Exp $
34.\"
35.Dd May 2, 1991
36.Dt ATAN2 3
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm atan2 ,
40.Nm atan2f
41.Nd arc tangent function of two variables
42.Sh SYNOPSIS
43.Fd #include <math.h>
44.Ft double
45.Fn atan2 "double y" "double x"
46.Ft float
47.Fn atan2f "float y" "float x"
48.Sh DESCRIPTION
49The
50.Fn atan2
51and
52.Fn atan2f
53functions compute the principal value of the arc tangent of
54.Ar y/ Ns Ar x ,
55using the signs of both arguments to determine the quadrant of
56the return value.
57.Sh RETURN VALUES
58The
59.Xr atan2
60function, if successful,
61returns the arc tangent of
62.Ar y/ Ns Ar x
63in the range
64.Bk -words
65.Bq \&- Ns \*(Pi , \&+ Ns \*(Pi
66.Ek
67radians.
68If both
69.Ar x
70and
71.Ar y
72are zero, the global variable
73.Va errno
74is set to
75.Er EDOM .
76On the
77.Tn VAX :
78.Bl -column atan_(y,x)_:=____  sign(y)_(Pi_atan2(Xy_xX))___
79.It Fn atan2 y x No := Ta
80.Fn atan y/x Ta
81if
82.Ar x
83> 0,
84.It Ta sign( Ns Ar y Ns )*(\*(Pi -
85.Fn atan "\\*(Bay/x\\*(Ba" ) Ta
86if
87.Ar x
88< 0,
89.It Ta
90.No 0 Ta
91if x = y = 0, or
92.It Ta
93.Pf sign( Ar y Ns )*\\*(Pi/2 Ta
94if
95.Ar x
96= 0 \*(!=
97.Ar y .
98.El
99.Sh NOTES
100The function
101.Fn atan2
102defines "if x > 0,"
103.Fn atan2 0 0
104= 0 on a
105.Tn VAX
106despite that previously
107.Fn atan2 0 0
108may have generated an error message.
109The reasons for assigning a value to
110.Fn atan2 0 0
111are these:
112.Bl -enum -offset indent
113.It
114Programs that test arguments to avoid computing
115.Fn atan2 0 0
116must be indifferent to its value.
117Programs that require it to be invalid are vulnerable
118to diverse reactions to that invalidity on diverse computer systems.
119.It
120The
121.Fn atan2
122function is used mostly to convert from rectangular (x,y)
123to polar
124.if n\
125(r,theta)
126.if t\
127(r,\(*h)
128coordinates that must satisfy x =
129.if n\
130r\(**cos theta
131.if t\
132r\(**cos\(*h
133and y =
134.if n\
135r\(**sin theta.
136.if t\
137r\(**sin\(*h.
138These equations are satisfied when (x=0,y=0)
139is mapped to
140.if n \
141(r=0,theta=0)
142.if t \
143(r=0,\(*h=0)
144on a VAX.  In general, conversions to polar coordinates
145should be computed thus:
146.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
147.if n \{\
148r	:= hypot(x,y);  ... := sqrt(x\(**x+y\(**y)
149theta	:= atan2(y,x).
150.\}
151.if t \{\
152r	:= hypot(x,y);  ... := \(sr(x\u\s82\s10\d+y\u\s82\s10\d)
153\(*h	:= atan2(y,x).
154.\}
155.Ed
156.It
157The foregoing formulas need not be altered to cope in a
158reasonable way with signed zeros and infinities
159on a machine that conforms to
160.Tn IEEE 754 ;
161the versions of
162.Xr hypot 3
163and
164.Fn atan2
165provided for
166such a machine are designed to handle all cases.
167That is why
168.Fn atan2 \(+-0 \-0
169= \(+-\*(Pi
170for instance.
171In general the formulas above are equivalent to these:
172.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
173.if n \
174r := sqrt(x\(**x+y\(**y); if r = 0 then x := copysign(1,x);
175.if t \
176r := \(sr(x\(**x+y\(**y);\0\0if r = 0 then x := copysign(1,x);
177.Ed
178.El
179.Sh SEE ALSO
180.Xr acos 3 ,
181.Xr asin 3 ,
182.Xr atan 3 ,
183.Xr cos 3 ,
184.Xr cosh 3 ,
185.Xr sin 3 ,
186.Xr sinh 3 ,
187.Xr tan 3 ,
188.Xr tanh 3 ,
189.Xr math 3 ,
190.Sh STANDARDS
191The
192.Fn atan2
193function conforms to
194.St -ansiC .
195